'I'm sorry for Balotelli' - Mancini

Former Man City boss, Roberto Mancini has said he’s ‘very sorry’ for Mario Balotelli, who is struggling to find a new club.

The former Italy international has been without a club since he terminated his deal with Brescia after the relegation to Serie B.

“I’m very sorry, now he’s 30 and would be at the height of his technical maturity,” Mancini told SportLab. “I’m sorry that he’s in this condition and can’t find a team. He hasn’t done well in recent years.

“The technical qualities he has would have been useful in the national team. I always hope something will happen to him, I love him, I saw him as a kid.

“Football lends a hand to the more particular, that’s not the problem. A boy must try to understand he has great luck.

“Your job becomes your favourite game as a child, make the most of it. The career as a footballer is short-lived, apart from [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic.”

After spells at Inter, Manchester City, Milan and Liverpool, Balotelli moved to Nice in Ligue 1 and played for Marseille before returning to Lombardy ahead of 2019-20.

He only scored five goals in 19 games for the Rondinelle and couldn’t help Massimo Cellino’s side stay up.